Working Session: Communicating about Human Biotechnologies and Biopolitics

Wednesday 28 July 2010, 1:00pm - 2:30pm

Many participants in the Tarrytown Meetings work directly with one form of communications media or another – “old” print & broadcast media, online media (blogs and other e-publications; new social media); social networks; film and video; writing and publishing. All of us follow the way human biotech and biopolitics is covered and addressed. This working session discussed our own experiences with “framing” and “messaging” via a variety of media, and how we might improve our communications with both general and particular audiences.

How can our concerns be “framed” or “messaged” effectively for different types of media and different “beats”? What’s worked well and not so well in terms of our own efforts? Based on our experiences and observations, how do we assess the various regions of the media landscape, including our own newsletters, blogs, etc? How can we grapple with hype from scientists, with media tendencies to polarize rather than present nuance, with the crisis in journalism that exacerbates these and other problems? What projects / efforts might address the challenges and gaps we identify?